Texas Governor Greg Abbott Rejects Sharia Law Amid Proposed Islamic Town

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has insisted “Sharia law is not allowed in Texas” in response to proposals for a new Islamic themed town near Josephine, around 40 minutes from Dallas.

The project, called “EPIC City,” is being orchestrated by the East Plano Islamic Center on a 402-acre piece of land that includes parts of Collin and Hunt counties.

Newsweek reached out to the East Plano Islamic Center via online inquiry form for comment on Tuesday.

Why It Matters

During his first term in office, President Donald Trump banned travel to the United States from a number of Muslim majority countries, having called for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims” entering the country during the campaign.

After returning to office on January 20 Trump signed an executive order instructing officials to make a list of nations “for which vetting and screening information is so deficient as to warrant a partial or full suspension on the admission of nationals from those countries.”

What To Know

The EPIC City project is being managed by Community Capital Partners, which was created by East Plano Islamic Center for this purpose.

Preliminary plans show over 1,000 houses, a mosque, a faith based school, retail shops and a community college split between two sections, named EPIC Ranches One and Two.

Earlier this month East Plano Islamic Center resident scholar Yasir Qadhi gave an update on the project, which he said would be a “Muslim neighborhood” while being “well integrated” into the wider community.

However, the plan has attracted skepticism from Abbott, who shared a post on X from conservative commentator Amy Mek warning that “a 402-Acre Sharia City is Being Built in Texas.”

Responding to Mek, Abbott posted: “To be clear, Sharia law is not allowed in Texas. Nor are Sharia cities. Nor are ‘no go zones’ which this project seems to imply.”

When reached for comment, Abbott’s office referred Newsweek back to his X post.

Sharia is the law of Islam based on the teachings of the Quran. Newsweek can’t find any references from the EPIC City organizers to their new settlement being governed by Sharia law or anything other than U.S. law.

In a statement provided to The Dallas Morning News, Community Capital Partners insisted they would obey the Fair Housing Act, which bans discrimination in housing based on certain characteristics, including religion.

They added they “will not enforce blanket bans on any group of people, but we will conduct thorough individualized assessments of prospective buyers to ensure they align with our goals of safety and security.”

What People Are Saying

East Plano Islamic Center resident scholar Yasir Qadhi: “EPIC City is going to be a role model community of thousands of Muslims living well-integrated.

“We are not forming a cult. We’re not forming big barriers between the rest of society. We’re going to be giving back to this state and this country, and we’re going to be showing what it means to be a Muslim neighborhood.”

Community Capital Partners said in a statement: “Our vision is to build a diverse and inclusive community — one in which people of every background, faith, and culture can live together in harmony. We will uphold the safety and well-being of our neighbors at every step of development, starting with thorough individualized assessments of prospective buyers to ensure they align with our goals of safety and security.”

What Happens Next

The proposals for EPIC City have yet to be finalized, and work toward this is still in progress. It remains to be seen whether Abbott’s intervention will lead to any change.